MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — As Nebraska began its preparations for Minnesota on Monday, senior linebacker Chris Weber said qualifying for and playing in a bowl game "would mean everything" to him.
Redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Lee said finishing the season on a strong note and earning seniors like Weber one more game would be a "huge motivating factor" for he and his teammates.
Instead of playing like a team motivated to lengthen its season, though, Nebraska looked on Saturday like a team without direction and headed for an ugly end.
Weber, limited by a neck stinger suffered last week that temporarily left him without feeling and sapped the strength in his left shoulder, watched from the sideline early on as Minnesota’s offense marched up and down the TCF Bank Stadium turf.